Hard to believe I hadn't visited Panama City Beach in more than 20 years. After all, it was my first beach, my first encounter with the miracle of shore and sea oats and the wonder of waves. So when I returned to those sugar white sands this past week, I had some catching up to do with my memories.
It was here I ran after sand pipers and seagulls while my mother floated on her back rising up and down with the gentle waves. It was here my sister and I collected shells and pieces of sand dollars and coral. It was here my dad scooped up sand in his hands and tossed it, setting the sand crabs scuttling across the beach to burrow in again.
Here I have always felt the magnificence of life and awe of the Creator. The simple harmony of sky over sea and sand on a sunny day. All seems possible.
After I graduated from college and worked at The Dothan Eagle, I again visited Panama City Beach, but this time with boyfriends. One of them became my husband (and then former husband). I'll never forget the day he and I first walked on the beach together. Both of us felt a sense of destiny.
So when I returned to Panama City Beach and first saw the color of the water, crystal clear bottle green spilling over the sand then bands of teal leading to deep blue and the horizon, I knew I had come home. As I walked and savored the incredible beauty I felt that I had really never seen this beach before. I was seeing it with new eyes.
How much more does the beach mean to me now that I have seen many, many other beaches, lived a lot more life and spent much time away from my family. And how much more it will mean to me in another 20 years. As T.S. Elliott said "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."
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